Boys & Girls Club seeks long-term lease at Bondi Park; city staff to start rezoning and neighborhood outreach

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Hutchinson and Salina asked the Salina City Commission on Aug. 25 to approve a long-term lease for a parcel just south of Sunset Park so the organization can build a permanent club facility that would replace a practice ball diamond in Bondi Park.
Lance Patterson, chief executive officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hutchinson and Salina, said the club would provide after-school and summer programming and that the organization plans to open an interim site at Oakdale Elementary School in November while pursuing a permanent building. "The Boys and Girls Club is a place where we work to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, caring citizens," Patterson said.
The advisory board identified the southern end of Sunset Park as the preferred permanent site. The proposed building would remove one of the park's baseball diamonds; staff said that specific diamond is currently used only for practice. City staff reported they have held design review team (DRT) meetings and believe the site is feasible for utilities, zoning and drainage. The club said it expects to serve roughly 100 children per day at start, focused initially on third through fifth grades and to age that cohort up each year.
The club described private fundraising progress: donors named in the presentation pledged operating and construction support, including a $500,000 commitment from donor-advised funds held by Mark and Donna Augustine Shaw and a $3,000,000 construction pledge from the Applequist family fund to build a roughly 13,000-square-foot facility with a gym, program spaces, kitchen and secured entry. Patterson said the group has raised about 43% of its campaign target and is conducting a campaign to cover the first three years of operation.
City staff summarized the requests to the commission: establish a long-term lease for the portion of parkland, plat and rezone the property to allow club operations, extend water and sewer to the site, provide basic grounds maintenance and snow removal, and approve a formal partnership agreement to coordinate planning and operations. Staff recommended the city act as the applicant for any rezoning because the property is city-owned, and said the sewer line would require an extension while water service is close to the site.
Questions from commissioners and public commenters focused on program scope, overlap with existing youth services and community impacts. Patterson said the initial Oakdale-based program would be open to all children but would not offer transportation in year one, making participating Oakdale children the most likely attendees; he said transportation options would be added as the program grows. Commissioners requested that Boys and Girls Club meet with the existing Teen Town program and the YMCA to coordinate services and avoid unintended overlap.
Commissioners asked about public process because the proposal would occupy parkland. Staff explained the difference between selling parkland and leasing city parkland: the sale of parkland would trigger a public hearing and a protest petition period under the city's process, but a long-term lease does not legally require those extra steps; nevertheless, several commissioners asked for a neighborhood meeting and outreach to the baseball community. Staff said they will schedule a neighborhood meeting and engage the baseball users.
On cost responsibilities, staff estimated the water and sewer extension could run roughly $40,000 to $60,000 depending on final route and scope; commissioners discussed whether the city should pay that cost or require the club to fund it. The discussion closed with the commission indicating interest in moving forward, asking staff to begin the platting and rezoning process, to work with legal on a draft lease and partnership agreement, and to schedule neighborhood outreach before a final agreement is returned to the commission.
Next steps identified by staff were: start the rezoning/planning process; draft a long-term lease and partnership agreement with input from legal; schedule a neighborhood meeting and engage the baseball community; and return any formal lease or partnership documents to the commission for approval. No formal ordinance or lease was approved at the meeting; staff requested and received commission consensus to continue work on the proposal.